Transglycosylation of neolignans by enzymatic synthesis and evaluation of their antitumor activity / 南方医科大学学报

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To improve the water solubility and biological activity of neoligans (magnolol and honokiol) and test the antitumor activity of the modified compounds.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The glycosylated products of magnolol and honokiol were obtained by enzymatic synthesis using a UDP-glycosyltransferase (YjiC) from Bacillus. The products were characterized by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis. MTT assay was used to detect the growth inhibition of 4 human cancer cell lines induced by the compounds.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>We obtained two glucosides of neolignans (magnolol and honokiol) for the first time by enzymatic synthesis using a UDP-glycosyltransferase. Based on the spectroscopic data, the glucosides were identified as magnolol-2- O-β-D-glucopyranoside (1) and honokiol-4'-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (2). Compounds 1-4 exhibited moderate anti-proliferative activities against the 4 human cancer cell lines, with IC50 values ranging from 9.41 to 111.21 µmol/L.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The glycoslated products show enhanced water solubility and drug sensitivity against SMMC7721 cells, suggesting their value as potential therapeutic drugs.</p>